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Array Selling our votes since 1918
volume 77 issue 18
AMS to buy student votes in January referendum
by Sarah O'Donnell
For the second year in a row
UBC's student government will
attempt to sweeten the
democratic process.
The AMS plans to hold a "free
tuition draw" in conjunction with
this January's student elections
and referendum as an incentive
for students to vote.
Although the draw is
scheduled to coincide with the
elections and will be held at the
same tables as election polling
booths, AMS councillors say the
two events are "not connected."
In the same breath, AMS
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Director of Administration and
Referendum Coordinator Am
Johal told The Ubyssey "the
intention of offering free tuition
as a draw is to increase voter
turnout," but that "in order to
alay some of the moral and
philosophical concerns, we've
made sure it isn't tied."
According to Johal, students do
not have to vote in the AMS
election or referendum to be
eligible for January's tuition draw
and advertising for the two events
will be completely separate.
But Namiko Kunimoto,
AMS vice-president, says the
T-Birds take 4th straight
Canada West Title
by Colin Pereira
The UBC women's soccer team
has some urifinished business to
deal with in the nation's capital.
This weekend they compete in
their fourth consecutive CIAU
soccer championship, and the
Birds will try to regain the national
championship they lost on penalty
kicks to Dalhousie in last year's
final.
The T-Birds earned their ticket
to the final six at Carleton
University after knocking off the
Calgary Dinosaurs 1-0 in Sunday's
Canada West final at UBC. Striker
Zoe Adrian scored the lone goal
of the game as the Birds beat the
Dinos for the third straight year in
the Canada West final.
The teams had played to a 1-1
tie the previous Saturday when
Tammy Crawford's last minute
goal ensured UBC home field
advantage for this weekend's final.
This time, the T-Birds were
clearly trying to avoid the need for
late game heroics as they carried
the play against the Dinos for most
of the game. Their domination
went largely unrewarded as they
hit the post three times and had a
first half goal by Tammy Crawford
called back by the referee.
Luck finally bounced UBC's
way when they scored a deserved
winning goal one hour into the
game. Lianne McHardy's hard
shot from the edge of the penalty
area deflected off a Calgary
defender to Adrian, who scored
from inside the six yard box.
"I don't even know if I had time
to kick it at all, but it hit my foot
and went in," Adrian said. "It
happened really fast."
"We knew that if we took it to
them from the beginning, we could
be all over them," said UBC
captain Heidi Slaymaker, who
won the Canada West MVP
award. "They didn't seem to have
very much confidence coming
back here to play us again."
UBC overcame the loss of twelve
players from last year to regain their
distinction is not as clear-cut as
some councillors would like.
"I think [the tuition draw]
cheapens the electoral process
and it could have a negative
effect on the election," Kunimoto
said.
"When it's at the same table, I
don't really see how separate that
is."
Johal says the free tuition draw
is justified because the last time
an AMS referendum met
quorum was 1991.
"History shows that the AMS
has been very pathetic in
achieving quorum. In a perfect
world we wouldn't have to do
this."
In Kunimoto's opinion,
"Students should come out to
vote because they are interested
in what's going on in their
campus...not because they are
going to get free tuition or a
Snapple or anything."
Arts Undergraduate Society
(AUS) representative Trevor
Presley calls the tuition draw an
"experiment."
"It's a gamble to see if this will
really affect voting."
AUS President Ho Min Um,
who voted against the motion at
the last council meeting, views the
draw as a bribe. "Even though it's
not linked, it's the first thing people
are going to see on the table."
Um says she believes the
better strategy "is to put out a
better, effective campaign."
Presley argues most students
will not be concerned about the
perception of the draw. "If we
were maybe only giving tuition
to people who voted 'Yes' in the
referendum, I can see about that
being controversial, but it's
simply a way to get students out
and involved in their student
government."
HEIDI SLAYMAKER, Canada West MVP,
Canada West tide, and head coach
Dick Mosher was understandably
pleased with his team's performance.
"If you had told me at the start ofthe
season that we could have won this
tide for the fourth time with twelve
new players in the fold, I wouldn't
have been so sure," Mosher said.
SCOTT HAYWARD PHOTO
leads the T-Birds to a 1-0 win over Calgary.
"I'm really pleased that we're going with round robin games against
to be playing in the nationals, and if
we play like we did [against Calgary],
we're going to be tough to beat"
The T-Birds leave for Ottawa on
Tuesday morning. They will
practice Wednesday before
opening the CIAU championship
Wilfrid Laurier on Thursday and
Carleton on Friday. They have
Saturday off while Laurier plays
Carleton, and the top team in their
pool plays the top team from the
eastern pool in the CIAU final on
Sunday afternoon.
UVic anti-harassment officer implicated in "lesbian walk" controversy
by Chris Chiarenza
Kathleen Westergaard, the
University of Victoria student who
filed an unsuccessful sexual
harassment complaint after being
asked to perform a "lesbian walk"
assignment, is demanding the
resignation of the anti-harassment
officer who handled her case.
Westergaard, a former women's
studies major, filed a sexual
harassment complaint against a
professor who asked her to take
part in an assignment requiring
students to hold hands with
another female student in a ten
minute walk around campus.
Susan Shaw, the anti-
harassment officer, rejected the
complaint on the grounds that the
assignment was not obligatory.
But Westergaard claims Shaw
treated her unfairly.
Westergaard's complaint
against Shaw involves a paper
Westergaard submitted to the
university president via the anti-
harassment office.
Before forwarding the paper to
the president, Shaw sent a letter to
the Director ofthe School of Social
Work Barbara Whittington which
refuted Westergaard's paper and
expressed "concern about any
discrediting ofthe anti-harassment
office."
Westergaard says the letter
potentially unfairly influenced the
way classmates and faculty in her
new department of social work
perceive her.
"Interfering with my education
in this way constitutes treatment
which abuses the power that Susan
Shaw has over me and is a gross
misuse of her authority."
Westergaard says the letter
breaks the procedures of conduct
outlined in the university's anti-
harassment policy-a claim Shaw
flatly rejects.
"I feel that I have done nothing
wrong," Shaw said. "There has
been no breach of confidentiality."
She points out that it was
Westergaard who made her case
public by seeking the attention of
the media.
Westergaard has also complained about the conduct of
students and faculty in her
department. One student walks
out of the room every time
Westergaard speaks.
Westergaard says she was
subsequentiy told by her instructor
"not to say anything that upsets
other students."
Westergaard fears the treatment
she has received since filing the initial
complaint will discourage students
from voicing their complaints. "I
sought counsel because I believed
that I had been harassed and should
have been entitled to [Shaw's]
confidential advice."
University President David
Strong will act as interim anti-
harassment officer to resolve the
conflict. Wanted
Wanted: 5 people or small groups
for day trips to Whistler/Blackcomb
and anywhere else in B.C. and
Washington. Call Chris 739-1374.
Reasonable Rates. Very comfortable
transportation.
Word Processing/Typing
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WP essays, theses, manuscripts,
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Essay editing and proofreading by
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CM5dbcKD
A Reminder to all our Advertisers
Due to Remembrance Day, our ad deadline for the
Friday, Nov.10 issue is Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 5pm.
The issue will appear on Friday as normal.
Also, The Ubyssey Business Office
will be closed on Monday,
November 13th.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
'TWEEN CLASSES 'TWEEN CLASSES
Thursday, Nov 9
Speaker Series
Students for forestry
awareness present "Enforcing the Forest Practices Code". McML 166,
12:30pm.
Thursday, Nov 9
Class Series
Spartacus Youth Club
presents "The state: les
sons of the Paris Commune of 1871." Brittania
Community Centre,
7:30pm.
Friday, Nov 10
Cheeze Factory Pub
Night
Presented by the EUS.
Cheeze Factory, between
McLeod and CEME buildings, 3:30pm.
Tuesday, Nov 14
Weekly Meeting
Overeaters Anonymous for
compulsive overeaters,
bulimics and anorexics.
Lutheran Campus Centre,
12:30pm.
Wednesday, Nov 15
Artist Talk
Video-performance artist
Andrew J. Paterson dis
cusses
Lasserre
1:30pm.
his work.
107, 12:30 -
Weekend, Nov 18-19
Self Defense
For Women
Class presented by
Women's Centre. $35 for
students - please pre-
register. SUB 212A,
11:00am -5:00 pm.
ATTENTION
The Ubyssey is looking
for students to write
sports, culture and
news, take photos, and
do production. No experience necessary]
Drop by SUP 241K,
or call 522-2301.
Staff meets every
Wednesday at 12:30
AMS Update -,
WANTED: Elections Poll Clerks
Yes, it's that time of year again -- Elections! Okay, so maybe it's not hap
pening until January but the Elections Committee is now looking for
enthusiastic, creative individuals who are interested in working as poll
clerks for the 1996/1997 AMS annual elections.
Dates:
JANUARY 15 TO 19, 1996
Some information about the position of Poll Clerk:
• you can choose your own hours and locations
• you can have as many or as few hours as you'd like
• honoraria will be paid
• hiring won't take place until after Christmas
Interested? Please drop off your resume to Brian Cross, Elections
Administrator, c/o SUB Rm. 238, Tel: 822-3971, Fax: 822-9019.
AMS POSITIONS AVAILABLE !
Learn great leadership and communication skills while making a contribution to your student society. The AMS has the following positions available:
• Speaker of Council,
• Vice-Chair for the Student Administrative Commission,
• Various positions within the Student Administrative Commission
• 3 Student at-Large positions in the Communications Working
Group.
For more information about these and other positions within student government, please drop by Volunteer Services, SUB Rm 100D.
ALMA MATER SOCIETY
STUDENT SOCIETY OF UBC
Prepared by your student society -
AMS Update -,
REFERENDUM '96 - UPDATE
Thanks to everyone who signed the petitions for the upcoming referendum - the Referendum Working Group has been able to obtain
1036 signatures for the Childcare Bursary question and 1041 signatures for the Fee Re-Allocation question! CiTR, who have just released
their petition, need more signatures to support their upcoming referendum
so drop by SUB Rm. 233, grab a couple of petitions and get them signed!
CiTR REFERENDUM QUESTION;
Whereas the Student Radio Society of UBC provides valuable services ot
the campus and the community in its operation of CiTR 101.9FM, UBC
Radio;
Whereas operating a radio station based on the principles of freedom of
expression and diversity has significant cost; and
Whereas CiTR 101.9 FM, UBC Radio should be financially autonomous;
"We the undersigned support the following referendum question to be
asked during the regularly scheduled AMS elections in January;
Be it resolved that a fee of $5.00 per year per member of the AMS be
levied to support CiTR's operations in place of funding currently received
from the AMS."
Note: This will increase the AMS Fee from $39:50 to $44.50 and will be
pro-rated for part-time students.
Also be on the lookout for classroom speaking regarding the upcoming
referendum questions, another Referendum display in the SUB Concourse
on Nov. 14th, and the next AMS Open Mike on Nov. 17th will be on
"Referendum '96". The Referendum Working Group meets every Thursday
at 7:00 pm in SUB Rm. 224. For more information, please contact Am
Johal, Director of Administration at 822-3961.
INTERNATIONAL BOOK BANK
We need more books! The AMS and Oasis UBC are collecting secondhand educational materials to be sent to developing countries. Please
bring your old school books to the Collection Box from now until the end
of November. Details are posted by the display. For more information,
you can also contact Am Johal, Director of Administration at 822-3961.
ALMA MATER SOCIETY
STUDENT SOCIETY OF UBC
Prepared by your student society -
The Ubyssey
Tuesday, November 7, 1995 sports
UBC hosts top volleyball competition
by Scott Hayward
The Automobilist volleyball
team from St. Petersburg, Russia
drove off with the hardware at the
1995 Rucanor Thunderball 'X'
tournament this weekend.
The smallest player on the
Russian team measured 6' 4" and
the average height topped
6' 7"-the height of UBC's tallest
player Mike Dalziel. With few
diggers, the Automobilist strategy
was to keep the ball high in the air
by blocking opponents at the net
and using their dominating spikers
to provide a potent offence.
The Russians jumped out to an
early lead in the final against the
SCOTT HAYWARD PHOTO
HEAD AND SHOULDERS above the competition— 6' 9" Alexandre Bogomolov spikes the ball over UCLA blockers.
Football Birds lose season finale
by Wolf Depner
Grayson Shillingfords' CIAU
record-tying four touchdowns
were not enough to beat the
Saskatchewan Huskies as the
football T-Birds dropped their final regular season game 39-32
last Saturday.
Trailing 31-32 late in the fourth
quarter, Andrew English missed
a 37 yard field goal attempt that
would have put UBC ahead with
less than two minutes left in the
game. Saskatchewan's Brennan
Fobel fielded the missed kick at
the base of his own end zone and
returned it 120 yards for a touchdown.
UBC got the ball back at its
own 20 yard line with litde more
than a minute left, but any hopes
of a comeback ended when quarterback Adrian Rainbow was
picked off two plays later. The T-
Birds finished their first season
under rookie Head Coach Casey
Smith in third place in the
Canada West with a 3-5 record;
a definite improvement over last
year's 1-6-1, but disappointing
compared to high expectations
early in the season.
Grayson Shillingford electrified the home crowd in the first
quarter as he returned two punts
for touchdowns with runs of 63
SCOTT HAYWARD PHOTO
VETERAN Brad Yamaoka looks on from the sidelines as Calgary runs out
the clock on his CIAU career.
and 73 yards. The Birds led 17-0
at the end of the quarter.
However Husky quarterback
Brent Schneider stormed back
throwing four touchdown passes
in the second quarter to take a 27-
17 lead. The T-Bird collapse was
partly the result of two costly
turnovers deep in their own half.
Just prior to half-time, a 13-yard
TD reception by Shillingford narrowed the Huskies' lead to 27-24.
Midway through the third
quarter UBC took a 31-27 lead
on Rainbow's 36-yard long TD
pass to Shillingford. However the
Huskies retook the lead on
Schneider's fifth TD pass, a 10-
yard strike. Brennan Fobel's 120
yard TD return following
English's missed field goal attempt rounded out the scoring.
The T-Birds were a much better team than their 3-5 record indicates, outscoring their competition 248-221. They lost five
games by a combined total of
only 22 points, including two
point and three point losses to the
first place Calgary Dinos. Had it
not been for some bad breaks and
key injuries in the defensive secondary, the Birds could be playing in the Canada West final this
weekend.
Receiver/kicker Andrew English led the league with 106 points
in eight games. He and
Shillingford were second and third
in both receptions and total yards
receiving. The future of Rainbow,
who topped the league in both
passing percentage and total yards
passing, is still up in the air.
defending NCAA champion
UCLA Bruins, and were able to
hang on to take a 3-1 win by scores
of 15-9, 15-8, 5-15, 17-15. In the
fourth game UCLA fought off five
match points before succumbing
to the towering Russians.
Tempers flared as both sides
were called for touching the net,
and the Automobilist bench took
a yellow card for arguing a call.
The players might have another
one, but fortunately the referee
didn't have a Russian translator.
The competition also featured
defending CIAU champion
Manitoba Bisons and teams from
Saskatchewan, UVic and UBC.
The Birds finished a disappointing sixth, but Coach Dale
Ohman said his team could draw
from the experience.
"You're never happy when you
lose. We played a team today that
played as perfect as they can play,"
Ohman said after losing 3-0 to
UVic Sunday. "Yesterday we got
outworked in 2 1/4 hours against
Saskatchewan... and we definitely
got outworked this morning."
Dalziel said the T-Birds need
to stay more focused. "We've
got to deal with frustration and
realize that a side-out is a side-
out and it's not the end of the
world," he said. "We've got to
learn to pick ourselves up after
that and play even harder to get
the ball back."
Ohman was pleased UBC
raised their level of play to take a
game from UCLA and challenge
the Bisons. "We played
[Manitoba] pretty much dead
even in all three games, but they
played better than us after ten
which as a coach is always a big
concern," he said. "The first step
is being able to play with a team
up to ten, if you can play with
them up to ten, the next step is to
play with them after ten."
The team lost Mike Kurz for
the year and has had other nagging injuries. "[This was] the first
test we've had with all the players healthy and we're discovering
that we have to make some
changes in where people are playing and actually revamp our
whole system," he said.
Changes will begin Monday
morning, and the first one will be
to the front line. "Michael
[Dalziel] has certainly shown that
he hits the ball a bit better from
the power side than he does from
the right side so we're going to
move him to that position and
move our captain Graeme
Middelkamp back to his right side
position," Ohman said.
O
SPORTS SHORTS
Basketball
SFU Clansmen beat UBC in
the 22nd Buchanan Cup last
Tuesday night. The cup series
stands at 12-9-1.
The larger Clansmen
outplayed UBC, who shot only
36.5% from the field and made
just 23 of 37 free throws. UBC's
Ken Morris led the scoring with
22, including three from outside.
"Man for man, play for play,
SFU was the better team, no
doubt about it," UBC coach
Bruce Enns said. "We couldn't
even make free throws!"
The men's team went on to
beat McMaster 87-70 and Brock
96-83 to win the Brock University Tournament this weekend, to
finish 7-1 in preseason play.
The women's team went 2-1
at the McGill University tournament this weekend to finish second. Friday they
beat Concordia
65-61, and after
losing to McGill
on Saturday the
Birds bounced
back and beat
Ottawa by a
58-48 margin.
Field Hockey
After going undefeated with a
record of 10-0-2 in Canada West
action this season, the Birds fell
1-0 to arch their rivals UVic in
the CIAU final in Toronto Sunday. UBC beat Waterloo 4-0 and
New Brunswick 3-0 in round
robin play and took Toronto 1-0
in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Hockey
An injury riddled T-Bird team
dropped a pair to Alberta this
weekend. The Golden Bears
downed UBC by scores of 6-3
on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday.
Defenceman Colin Duncan
suffered a concussion in Fridays
game and didn't play Saturday.
The Birds' blue line is also missing Corey Stock who is out until
Christmas with a
broken foot and
Jason Honchar
was suspended
after a spearing
incident against
Lethbridge.
Volleyball
UBC's men's team lost 3-1 to
defending CIAU champion
Manitoba in the opening game of
their regular season Sunday night
The women's team finished in
a tie for second place in the Seattle Pacific Invitational tournament over the weekend.
Thursday night they lost 3-2
to Alberta, the event's eventual
winner. Friday they downed Seattle Pacific University 3-1 and
Portland State 3-2. Saturday
they split two games, beating
Anchorage 3-1 then losing to
Puget Sound University 3-0 to
finish second overall.
Tuesday, November 7,1995
The Ubyssey Political Science
Political Science
Political Science students will not to be swept under the rug
by Matt Thompson
The release of Joan McEwen's report of systemic racism and sexism in UBC's political
science department last June sparked months of bitter conflict and an unprecedented
wave of national media attention.
Now, only three weeks after the university lifted its suspension of graduate admissions
in the department, McEwen's report and the department it indicted have all but
disappeared from the public eye.
But while many faculty and administrators have treated the reopening as vindication,
many students in the department say it is still business as usual in political science.
"Whenever we would say 'we're unhappy
EXCLUSIVE PROCESS
Kevin Dwyer, a white male MA candidate in the
department, says he became aware of the
department's often "abusive" and "demeaning"
behaviour toward his classmates soon after entering
the program in September 1994. He says the report
confirmed his own feeling that many students in the
department felt extremely marginalised.
"The climate [in the department] is 'chilly,'"
Dwyer said, "but I would refer to it more
accurately as 'suffocating' for any student who
wants to explore different intellectual avenues
other than the traditional mainstream."
Dwyer says allegations of racism and sexism
necessitate a truly inclusive process to achieve
meaningful reform.
"When the McEwen Report was released, I
thought it was extremely important that any renewal
process that was adopted had to have the input of
those students who were main complainants-those
students who were the most aggrieved."
Scott Pegg, also a political science PhD
candidate, says students never received that
inclusive process. "There has not been a time
where the department has said, 'Look, we know
here's six or eight students that have really
serious problems, we want to sit down and talk
to you.' That has never happened," Pegg said.
Haider Nizamani, a PhD candidate and visiting
international student from Pakistan, says the
department wrongly associated reaching out to
aggrieved students as an admission of wrong-doing.
"The department equated any outreach to
students as an admission of guilt. So, now that
the ban has been lifted, I think it's a continuation
of the same attitude towards the marginalised
students. Now, the impression is that [the
department] has been vindicated, and those
students were wrong."
"NAKED MAJORITISM"
Instead of implementing a genuinely inclusive
process, Dwyer, Nizamani and others say the
department resorted to a "majority rules"
approach to reform that was totally
inappropriate given the nature of the
complaints.
"They played this strategy where they would
put everything to a majority vote," Pegg said.
"Two black women would say there is racism,
there is sexism, and fifteen white males would
say 'No there isn't.'
with this process,' we would be told 'Well, you
don't want to play by democratic rules' or 'You
can't accept majority decisions.'"
Pegg thinks many of his white male
classmates, who have remained adamant that
the department is without racism and sexism,
miss the point.
"In defence of the department, there are a
number of people that go through there with
few or no problems," he explained.
ridiculous, because you have to have an
inclusive process before you can actually heal,"
he said.
"People have to be brought in first and there
has to be dialogue between them and their
concerns have to be addressed...and that hasn't
happened."
MISGUIDED MEDIA
Graduate students say the mainstream media
made the situation worse by misrepresenting the
department as a battleground for a precedent-
setting fight between opposing ideological camps.
Pegg says the department focused their
energies on waging a battle in the media at the
expense of the real issues at hand.
"Rather than dealing with the students who
either had problems or were sympathetic to
"Where I differ with a lot of those people is
many of them that have few or no problems take
the attitude that, 'It's okay for me, therefore it's
okay' My attitude was it's okay for me as an
individual, but it sucks for a large number of my
colleagues and therefore it's not okay over all."
DIVIDED DEPARTMENT
Time for GRAD School
Law School or an MBA Program?
LSAT
Nov. 11-12
GJVLAX Jan. 8-11
GRE
Nov. 24-26
The Renert Centre For Excellence in Education
228-1544
Pegg is adamant the
climate in the department
has not improved. "If
anything, the climate is far
worse after the release of the
report than it was before—it's
degenerated. It wasn't good
to begin with, but it's worse
now by far.
"Since the release of the
report the middle ground has
sort of evaporated and people
have been forced to take sides
on eveiything," he said.
Dwyer blames the split on
the department's failure to
provide an inclusive process.
"It's become so polarized
between students in the
department that attempts to
build community are almost
these students who did have problems, the
department chose to wage war against those
students in the media-that was it's first
response," Pegg said.
"I really believe that if this had not been the
media spectacle that it was—and I blame the
[political science] department for that, they created
that, they were the driving force behind it-that
there would have been a lot more willingness to
compromise on some things, a lot more willingness
to mediate, conciliate, whatever.
"That's what I think has been totally distorted
in all of this. We're not here to destroy any
professors. It's never been our goal to do that.
We just simply want them to realize that some
of their activities are unacceptable."
Dwyer agrees the media has blatantly
misrepresented the situation by portraying
student complaints as "identity politics" and
"political correctness."
"It's completely distorted what's been going
on," he said. "[The media's version of events] is
all about 'political correctness.' It's not about
political correctness, it's about racism and
sexism," he said.
If anyone is guilt of "identity politics," Dwyer
says it's the professors who have depicted
themselves as victims. He says that while
complainants have a full range of demographics
in the department, professors are exclusively white
and exclusively male with very few exceptions.
"What you're seeing is a consolidation of the
identity of whites in the department that are
privileged. And I'm really, really dismayed by
that and I'm saddened by it."
Pegg agrees that with few exceptions, the
media's treatment has been unfair.
"The level of rhetoric in the media has been
incredible. McEwen, whose report did not
recommend one piece of discipline against one
professor, is compared to Stalin, Mao and the Spanish
Inquisition? Students are called Red Guards?"
Pegg feels the media campaign has carried a
message. "That message is being sent to women
and minorities not only on this campus but on
all campuses, that if you try to speak out against
sexual harassment or against racism or against
homophobia or any of these issues that, not only
will you not get a favourable response but that
you will get slammed in the media. A lot of
people across this country look at what's
happened to us in the media and say, 'I'm not
saying anything. I'm not complaining.'"
FACULTY-DOMINATED
REFORM
Now that students have been dropped from
the department's working groups set up to
recommend reforms, Dwyer says it's the reform
process, not the much maligned McEwen
Report, that defies concepts of "natural justice."
"There has been a basis found for allegations
of pervasive racism and sexisms and there were
fourteen professors that were implicated in that.
And now we have our faculty establishing a
committee process in which the full faculty will
vote on any reforms that come forward. So
essentially, they're voting on their own
accusations," Dwyer says.
Pegg says it's "ridiculous" for the accused to
become their own judge.
"We felt a little bit like, if there were a prison
riot to protest brutality by the guards, and there
was a report that said 'Yes, the guards are brutal,'
and then they left the guards to determine how
to reform the prison."
Pegg and Dwyer say the university has ignored
their requests to involve outside observers.
"There has been a total reluctance to have
anyone from outside of the department involved
at all," Pegg said. "We fail to see why these people
who have been implicated not just in the McEwen
report but in the external review report a year or
so before that or in the graduate student survey or
the Strategic Planning Committee-all kinds of
evidence that there are deep-seeded problems in
the department, and the rest of the university has
said 'You guys take care of it-we don't want to be
involved,'" Dwyer said.
A university-wide graduate student
survey conducted in the winter of 1994
found that women in the political science
department:
• were approximately one-half as likely as the
university average to agree with the statement,
"The academic environment in my department/
school is equally welcoming of all students"
• were more than twice as likely to have had
their work "publicly ridiculed" in their
department
• were more than twice as likely to agree with
the statement: "Professors in my department
make disparaging remarks about students"
• were twice as likely to "have heard students
being verbally abused or belittled"
• were almost four times as likely to agree with
the statement: "When explaining concepts, my
professors use metaphors which 1 find
inappropriate."
• were two-and-a-half times as like to have felt
their academic contributions were ignored.
MESSAGE
Dwyer worries about the larger message sent
by sweeping political science under the rug,
especially to women and minorities.
"Students are faced with the choice that
they can either grin and bear it and take
whatever abuse is given to them and suffer
silently or they can pursue matters outside
university channels, because there are no
channels at this university that want to discuss
these things," he said.
Nizamani says the lifting may have been a
victory for the department in terms of its
professional standing and reputation, but says
the decision to reopen admissions has squashed
any hope marginalized students may have had.
Pegg agrees the message is clear. "If you try
[to file complaints], you will be labelled dissidents
and Red Guard, you will have media campaigns
launched against you, you will have tenured
faculty making $70-80,000 a year portraying
themselves as 'victims,' and that's what's in store
for you if you want to challenge them."
SOLD OUT
Mixed signals
Half-truths, hypocrisy and
unanswered questions
In his speech to the Faculty of Graduate
Studies on October 10, Graduate Studies
Dean John Grace said it would be "unlikely"
that the reform process would continue once
the suspension had been lifted.
"Overturning the suspension would send
a message to many graduate students that a
narrowly conceived notion of faculty
privilege is more important than providing
an appropriate and hospitable learning
environment for their studies.
"Overturning the suspension would also
send a message to women, visible minorities
and other disadvantaged groups that their
efforts to achieve equity will continue to be
overridden."
Eight days later, Grace lifted the
suspension on admissions.
In his September 20 statement to senate,
Acting Department Head David Elkins said
the department had "steadfastly
endeavoured to improve the department
and its graduate program for some years
now.
"Our efforts began before the [McEwen]
Inquiry was set up and continued while it
was in process," he claimed.
But in a confidential memo obtained by
The Ubyssey dated March 1995, Political
Science Professor Paul Tennant openly
admitted that the department had "taken
Pegg and Dwyer say they were left shocked
by Graduate Studies Dean John Grace's surprise
announcement that the suspension would be
lifted after striking a last minute deal with the
department they see as cosmetic.
Dwyer says students have a right to feel
betrayed.
"We got shafted in the end, that's what
happened," he said.
Pegg is even more emphatic.
"I think John Grace flushed us down the toilet, and there's no need to put
it any milder than that. It was a monumental betrayal," he said.
Dwyer also disputes the claim that students' opinions were consulted.
"They're trying to say that everyone was involved. None of us were
involved. None of us were told. None of us were consulted. Our opinion was
not asked or sought or anything."
The criteria used to reopen the department is also in question. Nizamani
said "I would consider the only indication of genuine reform would have
been that marginal voices were at least heard with sympathy. That would
have indicated some positive step, to me. What I see in that agreement, is
that those marginal voices have been silenced. That's the irony of it."
According to Pegg, the agreement contains nothing new. "The department
would have signed that agreement on July 4, or June 30 or July 15. We gained
nothing by having these four months of vicious in-fighting," he said.
"Many students put themselves and part of their careers on the line to
establish a legitimate process throughout these months, and to have him in
the end do what he has done is atrocious, it's despicable. Because what he's
done is he has sold those students out, lock stock and barrel."
BLEAK FUTURE
Dwyer is pesimistic about the department's future.
"I think it's pretty bleak if it keeps going the way it's going," he says, "It's
[the faculty's] choice, because they are now running the show."
Nizamani says students who have felt marginalised in the past have been
given no reason to feel differently. "I think students who do not constitute
part of their idea of community, they will find themselves in a rather unfriendly
environment."
He wants to make sure the department
makes prospective students aware of the
department's history. With Canadian
applications to the department expected to
decline because of the publicity the ^11mi'«'§'ij^^p///
department has received, he thinks the
department may try to recruit more
international students to fill the gap.
Pegg is equally pessimistic. "As for the
immediate future of the place, I don't really
see anything positive coming out of this,
because I don't think [the faculty] has
learned anything."
Dwyer has resigned himself to finishing
his studies is a badly-divided department.
"For the students, the divisions are so deep
and so fundamental that I don't think they're
going to be healed. I think I'll graduate
before they heal."
little action" with respect to widespread
dissatisfaction among students.
"While I remain to be convinced that
any of my colleagues are racists or that
they discriminate on the basis of sex, I
suspect that the McEwen report will
provide challenges for the department,"
he wrote.
"[The McEwen Report] will in all
likelihood demonstrate significant
dissatisfaction and alienation among
graduate students (as have our own internal
findings, on which we have taken little action)"
[emphasis added].
In its condemnation of the university's
decision to suspend admissions to political
science based on McEwen's
recommendations, the Canadian
Association of University Teachers (CAUT)
charges that the decision to suspend
admissions violated "due process" since the
university had not conducted a full
investigation.
"An administration must seriously
investigate all such charges to see if there is
bona fide complaint," the CAUT executive
wrote.
The terms of reference given McEwen
precluded her from conducting a full
investigation, and she acknowledged this
fact in her report.
Graduate students welcome a full
investigation, but UBC President David
Strangway told The Ubyssey after the last
senate meeting that the university has no
plans to further investigate the allegations
raised by McEwen's report.
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BOOKSTORE
JANE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14,1995
IRC LECTURE HALL No.6
AT 7:30 PM
The acclaimed author on urban
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speaking about her latest work
A SCHOOLTEACHER IN
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Random House of Canada - $29.95
An entertaining frontier story with
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Free admission. Doors open at 7:00 PM
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The Ubyssey
Tuesday, November 7,1995
Tuesday, November 7,1995
The Ubyssey I I
opinion
Quorum, quorum, just ignore 'em
The AMS wants you to become more involved
in your student government. Really. Honest.
In fact, they're so gung ho about stimulating interest in the democractic process, they're willing to
give some lucky democrat a bunch of money—for
tuition, of course.
Of course, this democratic deal-sweetening is
nothing new. Last year's AMS executive blew a wad
of students' money hiring a big-name band in a failed
attempt to score quorum.
Last fall's "Spirit" fiasco remains a testament to
the dangers of trying to buy votes from students,
and it's obvious this year's executive has learned
their lesson. The free tuition draw and election are
"unconnected," they say, though they freely admit
that the draw is "intended to entice voters."
Hmmm...
Glad they got that cleared up.
Maybe next year they'll raffle a pony.
Okay, okay. Maybe we're just chewing sour
grapes. I mean, who wouldn't want their tuition paid
for, right?
But perhaps the AMS ought to figure out why
the general student public doesn't give a pile of
steaming pony poo about code and bylaw changes
and student fee reallocations. Rather than coming
up with flashier gimmicks to arouse voter interest,
perhaps they ought to talk to some students outside
the Student Union Building and ensure the issues
are more relevant to them.
Despite this professed desire to get students "involved in the democratic process," some AMS councillors seem to want as little to do with students inside council chambers as possible. At the Novem
ber 1 council meeting, a group of councillors who
supported the idea of holding a free tuition draw to
get students involved, criticised a group of students
who had the initiative to put a motion before council to support the idea of a retrial for Mumia Abu-
Jamal, because it "wasn't a student issue."
We would love the AMS to provide us with an
official definition of what a student issue is. If a group
of students brings something to council to vote on,
is that not a student issue? If there is a portion ofthe
student body that cares about something, no matter
how small the constitiuency, doesn't that make it a
student issue?
Or are student issues just the one's the AMS
is willing to bribe students to feign an intertest
inr
Referendum fever—catch it!
the
ubyssey
November 7,1995
volume 77 issue 18
The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press.
The Ubyssey is published Tuesdays and Fridays by The Ubyssey
Publications Society at the University of British Columbia. Editorial
opinions expressed are those of the newspaper and not necessarily those
of the university administration or the Alma Mater Society.
Editorial Office: Room 241K, Student Union Building,
613S SUB Blvd., UBC V6T 1Z1
tel: (604) 822-2301 fax:(604)822-9279
Business Office: Room 245, Student Union Building
advertising: (604) 822-1654 business office: (604) 822-6681
Business Manager: Fernie Pereira
Advertising Manager: James Rowan
Account Executive: Deserie Harrison
Canada Post Publications Sales Agreement Number 0732141
Ben Koh had never seen such a monster. Iwo green eyes blazed with an
emerald fire as the spiked nose bore down on the H.M.S. Scott Hayward and
rammed its hull with (lie forte of a torpedo. Charlie Cho leapt for the lifeboat,
but Alison Dunnet landed on the monster itself. Surprise! It was not a beast, but
a thine; of metal, rolling out the can opener she'd pinched from Doug Quan,
she cut her way tin ough the outer shell of the "beast." Wolf Depner jumped
from the sinking gunwale into the fresh entrance, where Rachana Raizada, clad
in a navy jumpsuit, bcaned him one.
The prisoners all came to in the brig, where they were visited by Captain
Siobhan Roantree. "What, were you expecting]ames Mason?" she cried. Colin
Tereira refused to accept defeat With grim determination, he told Jenn Kuo to
beat her head against the bars. Their captor fled. Sarah O'Donnell grabbed a
harpoon and shot guard Peter T Chattaway between the eyes.
Joe Clark took a break from running for his life to peer through a porthole
and squeal with glee at a friendly face. He called Chris Chiarenza over to take
a look at their savior. It was Malt Thompson, beckoning [hem (n live in his
Yellow Submarine.
Editors:
Coordinating Editor: Siobhan Roantree
Copy Editor: Sarah O'Donnell
News Editor: Matt Thompson
Culture Editor: Peter T. Chattaway
Sports Editor: Scott Hayward
Acting Production Coordinator: Joe Clark
letters ■
Fat sheriff
attitude
As a 58 year old alumnus of
UBC and one whose daughter
is in fourth year, I have held the
view that security and parking
enforcement was a necessary evil
but only in the figurative sense.
On the afternoon of Friday,
October 27 at approximately 2:45
pm I witnessed an old minion
(about my age) of the parking
enforcement illegally ticketing eight
vehicles parked at the curb ofthe
road on the north side ofthe new
Student Recreation Centre.
The mandate given to any
group such as parking and
security services should include
providing a sense of fairness,
security and gaining the respect
of those who may use the
university in some manner. Staff
selected for employment should
like teenagers and be able to
develop some empathy with and
rapport with the students and
their activities on campus.
Quotes from the attending staff
in parking on S.W. Marine Drive
are "We do what we want to do"
and "We make our own laws."
Such autocracy and inflexibility
is a dangerous commodity when
they feel they answer to no one,
not even under the law.
If visitors, staff or students feel put
upon continuously by parking and
security personnel then perhaps a"
review of problem areas should be
carried out first
As a visitor I find meter fees to
be too high and in some areas
such as the hospital parking lot
are a burden and insult to anyone
having an emergency or visiting.
Since other hospitals have been
closed more parking should be
provided close to the hospital for
those who need it.
The emphasis of parking and
security services seems to be to
ticket endlessly, impound
vehicles and to offend anyone.
Last week, I returned from
Queen's University in Ontario
and found the emphasis was on
the safety and security of the
students and staff and their blue
light program and walk-home
programs were superior.
Nowhere did I see the small
town, one fat sheriff attitude.
The two curb areas at which the
following vehicles were ticketed
was from the access road
entrance eastward to another
roadway and the other was curb
space to the east of that. There
was an old sign, weathered, rusty
and completely illegible and
ahead of that a rusty angle iron
with no sign attached. The curbs
were not painted in any manner
to signify no parking. The areas
were not signed adequately if
intended and the ticketing officer
knew it.
For the owners of
Ontario 232 WMZ Jeep
BC BAT 288 Camray
BC SST 053 Corolla
BCACT949VW
BC KJE 750 Mustang
BCADW 118 Neon
BCPKT979DDR064
and one other unidentified who
drove away in disgust, I expect
nothing less than a written
apology for them individually
and I'm quite willing to stand in
their defense in court.
The negative public image
produced by the self-serving
bureaucracy such as parking and
security services is a lasting one
which degrades the values of
authority and certainly does
nothing to enhance the feelings
of belonging, pride and spirit on
campus.
Rick Shields
UBC Alumni
WUSC
thanks UBC
I am writing on behalf of World
University Service of Canada
(WUSC) to thank all the people
who signed the petition to
support the proposed AMS Fee
Reallocation referendum
question in January.
WUSC is one of the many
excellent student organizations
that stands to benefit if the
referendum question passes in
January. Out ofthe seven dollars
to be reallocate, WUSC would
receive 50 cents towards the
Refugee Sponsorship Program.
Each year the WUSC UBC
local committee uses the money
from our current student levy to
sponsor a refugee student to
come to Canada and study at
UBC. The students apply for the
WUSC scholarship from their
country of refuge, whether in
Kenya, Thailand or the former
Yugoslavia. Our local committee
acts as the Canadian legal
sponsor to gain landed
immigrant status for the student.
We register the sponsored
student in courses, find a place
for the student to live with the
help of UBC student housing
and assist the student in adjusting
to Canadian life. A scholarship
provided by the UBC
administration plus the existing
student levy allows us to fully
financially support one student
each year. With the fifty cent
student levy increase that we
would receive if the referendum
passed, we would be able to
sponsor two students each year
and build up a small surplus for
emergencies.
Thanks to the people who
signed the petition, we are on
our way to the referendum in
January. I hope that UBC
students continue to actively
express their support for fellow
students not fortunate enough
to have been born in a peaceful
country like Canada by casting
a vote in the 1996 referendum.
Garett Pratt
WUSC UBC Treasurer
LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. "Perspectives" are opinion pieces over 300 words but under 750 words and are run according to space. "Freestyles" are opinion pieces written by
Ubyssey staff members. Priority will be given to letters and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is time sensitive. Priority on all opinions shall be given to those individuals or groups who have not submitted a
letter or Perspective recently. Opinion pieces will not be run unless the identity of the writer has been verified. Please include your phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year
and faculty with all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the office of The Ubyssey, otherwise verification will be done by phone.
The Ubyssey
Tuesday, November 7,1995 New venue is good; Panych's
Vigil is... um... not so good
Vigil
at the Arts Club New Revue
Stage until Nov 27
by Alison Dunnet
Stick to what you do well!
Someone should have told Morris
Panych that when he was writing Vigil so he could have spared
his audience its contrived and
sentimental ending and just let
them enjoy his terrific wit.
The play centers around Kemp
(Alan Williams), a lonely banker
who goes to visit his supposedly
dying Aunt Grace (Margaret
Barton) for what he thinks will be
a short and final visit with his
long-estranged aunt. Things,
however, don't turn out as Kemp
or the audience expect.
Panych's caustic pen is nothing short of brilliant, as when
Kemp, the socially inept and self-
centred nephew ponders the love
people have for pets. He wittily
points out, "If I ran around licking
my genitals in public I'd be put in
jail." Panych has a true gift for
sarcasm, but his attempted poignant ending was such
a painful cliche, I almost
wish I'd left early.
Kemp's attempts to
quicken the death of his
aunt have Roadrunner-
esque repercussions on
himself, which keep the
audience in stitches but make the
serious ending seem even more
out of place. Though Williams
seemed a touch overblown and
self-aware to begin with, he relaxed quickly and his physical talents as an actor, along with his
British accent, remind one of that
other anal Englishman Basil
Fawlty.
As Grace, Margaret Barton has
an almost mute role, speaking
only a handful of times during the
entire play. She makes the most
of her limited role with expressions and movements that endear
Light comedy is just like starting over
Persuasion
at the Varsity theatre
by Peter T. Chattaway
For anyone who's
ever wanted a second
chance at 'the love of
their life, Roger Michell's
lightly comic adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion is the movie to see.
Single, 26 years old, and living with her
cash-strapped family, Anne Elliot (Amanda
Root) still rues the day, some eight years after
the fact, when she turned down one Captain
Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds) on the advice of a
family "friend." She hasn't seen him since, but
that's about to change, now that his family is
renting her father's estate. Will he resent her
still? Will she change her mind?
Well, what do you think? From the outset.
Persuasion is such a good-natured film that
the final outcome is never in much doubt. For
tunately, Persuasion is also a lovingly crafted
film and the actors give it their all, evoking
every frustrated tic we associate with that fidgety thing called the heart. What's important is
not who ends up with who in the end, but
how these two souls come to orbit each
other when there are so many distractions along the way.
Everyone in the cast is enjoyable — I quite
liked Sophie Thompson as Anne's chatty, melancholic sister Mary — but- the show belongs
to Root. Even as she listens patiently to everyone else's stories, her large, Nermal-esque
eyes seem to scan the environs, looking for a
confidant she can call her own. With her
mouth set in a pensive straight line, she seems
resigned to her fate on the receiving end of
everyone's gossip, her own heart's concerns
bottled up for the time being.
The sets and costumes are the superb work
we've come to expect from British period
pieces, but not all is smooth and polished with
this show. Persuasion was originally produced
for British TV, and it shows, especially in the
relentless close-ups and shaky camera work
(which wouldn't be nearly so disturbing if you
had a living room wall keeping the universe
stable behind your screen). Minor quibbles,
perhaps, but they may affect whether or not
one would prefer to wait for the video.
The film's true genius lies in its subtle, quiet
ability to recreate that process whereby individuals come to stand out from the sea of faces
surrounding them.
At first. Persuasion plays like a typically
English ensemble piece, amaze of nondescript
eccentrics darting about each other on a fairly
even playing field. But as the film reaches its
conclusion, something happens: the characters of Anne and Wentworth begin to stand
out in each other's eyes, and in our own as
well.
It's like falling in love for the first time all
over again.
Contorting mantras in a balletic dream world
Dance Review, Ballet British Columbia
Nov 2 - 4 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre
by Rachana Raizada
Can You Believe She Actually Said, the most recent creation by Ballet British Columbia, premiered in May 1995 as part of "UNited We
Dance," San Francisco Ballet's 50th anniversary celebration of the
United Nations.
The dancers themselves have a lot at stake here. Not only did they
help Artistic Director John Alleyne with the choreography, the dance
is both by them and about them — a 30 minute editorial on the tribulation and the triumph of being a dancer. Mozart's music (one serenade and three divertimenti) keeps the loosely structured movement
from falling apart. The curtain rises on a bare stage, spotlights revealing the shadowy figures of dancers, who move like statues come to
life. As their dancing takes on energy and vigour, things go wrong -
their poses collapse and their bodies contort.
However, by the second-last pas de deux, things have begun to
pull together. The male dancer carefully helps his partner move from
one graceful pose to the next, so as not to lose this sudden transformation to beauty.
In one move, he suddenly pulls her up en pointe as if to prevent an
almost certain lapse into unsightliness. The last pas de deux is a picture perfect reminiscence of the polished look that Alleyne created so
well in the New Blondes.
The Winter Room by Jean Grand Maatre (himself once a dancer
with Ballet BC) was full of surprise. Its total effect was startlingly vi
sual, as if one had stepped into a soft, white night just after the first
snow of winter. A stylized tree, all naked roots and branches with a
few stubborn leaves, dangles in the middle of the stage. The chanting
music reinforces the effects: the dance starts with Mantra, by Japanese composer Somei Satoh, and follows with Laurel Macdonald's
Bulgarian-inspired Kyrie. The dream world seems to be more of a nightmare than anything else; Isabelle Itri does not appear to be a willing
partner to John Ottman's lifting and tossing.
There, Below, the evening's final piece, is a 1989 creation by James
Kudelka (currently artist in residence at the National Ballet of Canada).
Mystically full of sparkle and smoke, the dance is a refreshing choreographic delight performed by ten dancers in five pairs. It poses a consistently classical challenge to a company that "doesn't do this kind of
stuff very often," but they rise to it admirably (except for the short
phrase where all ten dance together).
The evening's two modern dances by guest company Toronto Dance
Theatre, really didn't add a lot to the evening. It was a bit like quaffing
diet soda with an elegantly presented but somewhat unsatisfying dinner of nouvelle cuisine.
use um society
Friday to Sunday in SUB Auditorium
7:00 Death and the Maiden
9:30 Amateur
Tuesday at 7pm - Schindler's List
UBC Film Society
Check for our flyers
in SUB 247.
a film
*3
her to the audience.
The set design was outstanding. The decaying walls and tenement-inspired windows, with the faded
newspaper stuck to
them, effectively mirrored the lonely and
twisted life of the
characters. The set
and lighting design
— which are both impressive —
would have had more resonance
had Panych been more convincing in his attempt to tie together
the humorous and serious aspects
of his play.
VigiTs opening also christens
the New Revue Stage on Granville
Island. In under a month the folks
at the Arts Club Theatre managed
to get the theatre and the bar outside ready to go. The new space
is, as the proprietors hoped, an
"intimate" venue in a studio theatre format that will complement
the larger mainstage next door.
IFREDF.RIC WOOD!
aresac
a
by
Oscar Wilde
COMEDY EVER
WRITTEN FOR
THE THEATRE
Directed by Bernard Cuffling
NOVEMBER 15 TO 25
2 for 1 PREVIEW Wed.,
Nov. 15th at S>pm
MATINEE Thure. Nov 23
at 1230 pm
DOROTHY SOMERSET STUDIO
TOSSIBLE WORLDS" & 'THE MAIDS'
2 for 1 Preview Nov 6th Nov S-10
BOX OFFICE 322-2673
24 hr. Movie Info call 822-3697
We've still got passes to
tbe Thursday premiere of
Blood & Donuts
Ask nicely at SUB 241K
and you might even get
passes to Clement Virgo's
Rude
which opens on Friday.
Both are produced by the
Canadian Film Centre's
Feature Film Project.
Tuesday, November 7,1995
The Ubyssey v<
4)W\,
use
forum 2
Summary of Questions and the
Responses from the Panel:
"Safety on Campus"
held Friday, October 27th in SUB
Moderator: Maria Klawe
Panelists: Namiko Kunimoto, John Smithman,
Meg Gaily, David Grigg, Yvette Leung, Cheng-Han Lee,
Brenda Li-PakTong, Janet Cox, Christy Doyle and
Marty Cole
Q Even though campus lighting has been improved, it
still has a long way to go. What is UBC doing to address
this issue?
A Campus Planning is continuing to collect information
on areas where lighting needs to be improved. There are
several issues. In some areas the lighting is simply non
existent or inadequate. In others it is inappropriate. We
are concentrating our efforts on the main routes across
the campus; paths to residences and parking areas, etc.
Last year the provincial government provided special
funding to upgrade lighting in a number of areas on
campus. The University is spending about $150,000 a
year on upgrading lighting. We have taken some giant
steps but we still have a long way to go.
Comment: The AMS has organized a safety audit to
identify areas where lighting is inadequate and where
lights are burned out. One of the problems is to identify
areas where lights are out so that Plant Operations can
replace the bulbs on a timely basis. The audit's findings
will be compiled into a report and forwarded to the
University for action.
Q Has UBC looked at the experience of campuses such
as Berkeley that are located in high crime areas?
A We have tended to look at other Canadian institutions
such as the University of Toronto and McGill, although
they are located in the downtown area and the problems
are different. UBC is geographically isolated. UBC used
the "Metrac" Campus Audit kit to develop the UBC audits
conducted in 1992 and 1995 and we meet regularly with
safety representatives of other institutions.
Q Why doesn't UBC have more emergency phones or
buzzers or use the Blue Light system to identify areas
where help is readily available?
A We are starting to install Blue Light stations with
telephones this year. Some of these will be located near
the SUB and near the parkades since there is so much
evening activity in these areas. We have identified five
areas and Campus Planning would welcome suggestions
for more.
Q The Security Bus is a great service but it takes a long
time to come. If people have to wait too long they just
leave. Can we get more buses?
A We are aware that sometimes people have to wait too
long. We have added a second bus as a back up and will
addmore as funds become available. The buses are quite
expensive to purchase (about $75,000) and that does not
include the cost ofthe driver. (The Security Bus presendy
carries about 130 passengers in an eight hour shift.)
People should also remember the AMS Safewalk
program. It has about 140 volunteers. If people drop by
SUB or phone 822 5355, between 5 PM and 1 AM, two
volunteers will escort you to your car or residence. It's
also good exercise! We are always looking for more
volunteers.
Q Why doesn't the Security Bus run on weekends?
A The bicycle patrol and our other staff are available on
weekends. Although the bus doesn't run on the
weekends, people can call 822-4721 or 822 2222 and the
patrol will respond.
Q Why does UBC use orange street lights? They don't
seem to give off much light?
A Although most people perceive that white light is better
than high pressure sodium light, our experience has
shown that the light levels are about the same. The clarity
ofthe white light is better and it allows you to understand
the ambient context in which you are walking. In the
future we will be switching to white light.
Q The lighting near the new Student Recreation Centre
and the routes to and from the building is poor. Can
you improve it?
A We are aware of that problem and will be moving to
address it in the very near future.
Q We often don't know what is happening on campus
although we frequently hear rumours. Why can't we
get information on car break-ins, threats, rapes, etc. at
UBC? Could this information be published in
The Ubyssey or UBC Reports!
A People are often reluctant to report these events. Meg
Gaily (UBC Personal Security Coordinator) receives
incident reports from the Parking and Security and the
RCMP, and has asked that people contact her even if
they don't want to report an incident "officially". We
need to raise awareness and will try to find a way of
providing current information to the campus
community. Hopefully this will also cause more people
to report problems. Maybe we should post this
information on one of the UBC newsgroups.
Q Sometimes when I call for the Security Bus I get the
impression from the staff that they are overloaded and
I feel guilty about asking them to pick me up. I know
that that others feel the same way.
A I apologize for that. Our staff have to cover the entire
campus and sometimes we are short staffed. We rely on
you to report those incidents to us and we will respond.
The comment may have been valid but our staff
members should not make the person requesting the
service feel uncomfortable. We are putting more
resources into training our staff and several of our
security personnel are on a course offered through the
Justice Institute as we speak.
Q Recently people at the Library had to wait over 1.5
hours for the bus, although they were told each time
they inquired that it would be there in 5 minutes. It
turned out that there was a problem with the bus and
it never did arrive. Is it possible to improve the
communication between the Library and the Security
Bus staff?
A I am aware of that incident and it should not have
happened. The muffler fell off the bus and we had to get
it fixed. We did put the back up van into service and I
don't know why it never reached the Library. We should
have communicated the problem to the Library when
they called. One of the senior members of the Library
staff has been in touch with Security to see what could
be done so that that kind of situation did not reoccur.
Q Because of the need to recruit volunteers, it is a couple
of weeks into the term before Safewalk gets under way.
It doesn't sound like there is enough communication
between Safewalk and Security. Can anything be done
to ensure that people can get safely to where they want
to go even if it is the beginning of the term?
A The Security escort service is available year round
however we are now aware that Safewalk doesn't start
right at the beginning of the term and will be in touch
with the AMS towards the end of the summer to make
sure that students are aware who to contact.
Comment: I have the feeling that "things just don't
happen" We need results. A 90 minute wait for the
Security Bus is not good enough. This was not an isolated
case. I have always had problems with UBC staff
including the AMS. A friend of mine worked for the AMS
and washarassed but the issue was never resolved. I'm
a client here and I need respect from both the University
staff and the AMS staff.
Response: These forums provide us with an opportunity
for direct feed back. The AMS has an Ombuds Office
and the University has Equity Advisors that could have
been of assistance and helped to resolve your friend's
problem. Sometimes we make a mistake but we try to
learn from our mistakes. We understand the respect in
which students are our clients and of course deserve
our respect but we also hope that students see
themselves members ofthe community. We all need to
share in the responsibility for improving things at UBC.
Q I have heard that the Security Bus won't come to SUB
because Safewalk is available in the building. Does
Security respond differendy to requests from SUB than
they do in other departments?
A We deal with all safety and security issues regardless of
which campus building they are in. Having said that, if
the Patrol is called to respond to a problem in the Pit
Pub, we would have to determine whether our staff or
the RCMP should respond because the RCMP have
responsibility under the liquor act.
Q Does the University offer some kind of subsidized
security classes?
A There are several courses available on campus. The
Women's Centre offers a course on self defense for $35.
The Women Students' Office offers free personal security
workshops. These courses are offered several times each
term. We could offer more courses or change the times
if they are not convenient.
Comment: I am a residence advisor and I really don't
feel that this a safe campus. We could be doing much
more. BCIT uses students to assist in safety matters.
There are many areas where the lighting is very poor.
The peer advisors and the AMS are doing a great job and
the Security Bus and bicycle patrols are good but we
need to do more. I challenge you to walk with me one
night and see how it feels.
Response: Many of us on the panel know personally
how it feels. Maybe there aren t a lot of murders and
muggings out here but that doesn't make it less scary.
I think we should organize a follow up to the AMS safety
audit and some of us who have responsibility for these
areas should be involved and see first hand what has
been done and what more we can do.
Participants in the forum were invited to submit
written comments. More than 20 responses were
turned in. The following points represent the
most common areas of concern:
Improved Lighting
• SRC/Mclnnes Field
• around SUB
• around the Buchanan building
• along the Main Mall (lights are often out)
• Acadia/Fairview area
• Asian Centre/ Graduate Student Centre/
International House
• between the Hospital (esp. Student Health
entrance) and Bl lot
• need to replace burned out bulbs faster; is there
a way to report them?
The Security Bus and Safewalk
• Better advertising
• need more buses
• extend hours; run on weekends
Emergency Phones/Blue Light stations
• we need emergency phone system on campus
• put one near the Library
• near Computer Science Building
• by the parkades
• near Astronomy and Geophysics Building
Other Concerns
• need better policy respecting harassment
• more awareness of Acquaintance Sexual Assault
- it is rape
• safety should not be a voluntary issue
•improve security in Main Library stacks
• more security patrols
• use Work Study students to assist with security
patrol
• more (subsidized) self defense courses
• change existing "culture of intimidation"
• need regular incident reporting
The University takes these issues seriously and will
publicly report specific actions taken to address the
concerns.Additional comments may be sent to
Maria Klawe, Vice President,
Student and Academic Services
(e mail <vpsas@unixg.ubc.ca>)
M
i)4Wt Vf,p\^forum3
Wenesday, November 8th
12:30pm
SUB Conversation Pit
Your
UBC
Access to Information
Technology
The third YOUR UBC forum will be held on Wednesday,
November 8th at 12:30 in the SUB Conversation Pit. The panel will focus
on Access to Information Technology (Personal Computing, Netinfo,
UBCLIB, World Wide Web, etc.). Watch for the announcement of more
Your UBC Forums next term.
Speak your mind.... we're listening.

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